| Robert McClure

1. If you could be an active composer in any other time period, when and why?

Never thought about this issue. I've been a composer long enough to have been active in several "time periods" already and despite all oft-discussed negatives, I'm glad to have been composing when during the time periods that I have been active. I guess I have a slight sense of having been a little "late to the party" for the period of reaction to post-WWII serialism. I think it would have been fun to have been mixing it up in the 1960s.

If I had to chose another era more distant enough from mine, I guess it might be the period between between WWI and WWII ... with lots of time spent in Paris, of course. Seems like their was plenty of eccentricity and room for experimentation, plus a vibrant arts scene ... the art world was exploding with ideas, movies were in their infancy, the whole field of percussion music was being born.

2. Dog, cat, or goldfish? Dog (but nothing against cats).

3. Would you rather…be a dinosaur or be a narwhal? Easy. Narwhal. Much more relatable and intelligent. Also, can't think of any advantages of extinction.

4. You’re trapped on an island. There is one electrical outlet connected to a boombox from 1992. When you were stranded here you only had time to save one cassette out of collection of singles. What is the one pop song you will listen to for the rest of your life?

Rolling Stones: "You Can't Always Get What You Want"

This was a tough one. But this title "popped" into my mind as a candidate very early in my ruminations, so I'll just go with it. In part, it's because of the message of the lyrics, which might prove useful while coping with being trapped on an island. ("If you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.") In part, it's because the recording has such a wide stylistic range (a cappella choir, quasi-blues/gospel, rock 'n roll ... a build up that is almost symphonic).

5. Who are 3 composers from the past -AND- 3 of your own generation whose music you respect, enjoy, inspires you, etc…

In 2010, I got an email from an undergraduate percussionist at Ohio University who had played a piece of mine that was published and wanted to see if I was interested in him commissioning a new work from me. ...duh. Of course, I was. That was Aaron Levy. Aaron got funding to bring me to Ohio University for the premier and to also give a guest composer lecture to the percussionists and composers there. The first, I had ever done. It was there that I met Mark Phillips who is a Distinguished Professor of Music at Ohio University. I thought it might be nice to start to get to know professors wherever I went. As a grad student at the time, it would be a waste to go to different places and not talk with and get advice from composers who had been in the game for some time. Mark and I went to a local bar and had some excellent beer and talked about music and academia for a long time. He has been a good friend since then, always willing to share thoughts and advice over Facebook and email.

Violin Power for violin and interactive electronics. One of the absolutely brilliant aspects of live electronics is the ability to create almost anything out of just a few bits of material. As Mark writes about the piece, "The accompaniment consists of three main components: 1) many layers of granular synthesis of the opening few measures of the violin solo; 2) nearly continuous doublings, distortions, and filtering of the solo line that mimic those used by many rock guitarists; 3) percussive outbursts and bass tones created from processing noise-based samples (tapping on the instrument, bow scratching, etc.)."

Absolutely listen with headphones or speakers that have decent bass response. Your feet will appreciate the sound massage.

T Rex (1996) for trombone and tape. This piece is so fun. I think I tend to forget that music has the capacity for levity and humor. This piece while very structured and intricate in its rhythmic content, it keeps you smiling the whole time. It grooves. This would be a killer closer to a show. Short, fun, and it allows the performer show the non-serious side. And I've never met a trombonist who was serious even 50% of the time. Awesome!